Wednesday, June 06, 2007

(Coral Springs, FL) On the weekend of May 25th, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison gave the keynote address in front of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota (MAS-Minnesota), at the group's 4th annual convention. While Ellison spoke, the group was actively spreading vitriolic hatred and violence aimed at Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims via its website.

The following statements are found on the MAS-Minnesota site, www.masmn.org:

“The Holy Prophet (and through him the Muslims) has been reassured that he should not mind the enmity, the evil designs and the machinations of the Jews...”

“In view of the degenerate moral condition of the Jews and the Christians, the Believers have been warned not to make them their friends and confidants.”

“A Muslim must always worship Allah and wage jihad until death in order to reach his ultimate goal… Regularly make the intention to go on jihad with the ambition to die as a martyr.”

On Monday, June 4th, the Chairman of Americans Against Hate (AAH), Joe Kaufman, phoned the local and Washington, D.C. offices of Congressman Ellison to demand that he denounce MAS. Kaufman has received no response from the Congressman or anyone in his offices.

Kaufman stated, “When Keith Ellison ran for office, he denounced the anti-Semitism of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam (NOI), a group that he was previously affiliated with. We demand that he do the same to the Muslim American Society. It is not only improper for a United States Representative to participate with such groups, but it is a danger to national security.”

This is at least the second time Keith Ellison has spoken in front of the Muslim American Society. The other time was right after he was elected to office, in December of 2006. As well, the Executive Director of the MAS Freedom Foundation, Mahdi Bray, campaigned for Ellison.

Remember Vladimir Lenin's pronouncement that "The capitalists will sell us the rope on which to hang them"? Well, Hezbollah, it appears, has a new twist on that, using capitalist-inspired trends against us.

Hezbollah may hate us Americans, but that doesn't mean they won't join in on our silly fads in order to make money off of us.

Hidden toward the end of an article in yesterday's Los Angeles Times (about how gourmet restaurants in Beirut are refusing to close amidst Lebanese Army fighting vs. Fatah al Islam), was this gem--Hezbollah is engaged in organic food farming and while American organic farmers are largely on their own, your tax money is funding Lebanese organic farmers. That gourmet Lebanese wine? It's from the Bekaa Valley, a Syrian and Hezbo playground:

The chef and his diners at the small table overflowing with food weaved a conversation in French, English, Arabic and Italian as they sampled Lebanese wines from the Bekaa Valley. . . .

Both Hezbollah, which is on the State Department's list of terrorist groups, and the U.S. Agency for International Development provide financial aid for organic farming in southern Lebanon.

Little is known about Hezbollah's farming program, which is managed by its general reconstruction affiliate, Jihad al Bina, said [Lebanese Agriculture Activist Ami] Zurayk, the agricultural activist, who teaches at the American University of Beirut. . . .

"Like many other things they do, especially in agriculture, little information actually transpires, and whatever is produced does not find its way into the public market," he said.

Uh, how does he know it doesn't make it into the public market? Many flowers grown in the Bekaa Valley make it here. And FYI, USAID money often ends up in Hezbollah's hands, as I've written about time and again on this site (because USAID doesn't track the money much and his no checks on Hezbollah getting it).

The answer to question #2 is a likely yes. As for the first question, don't buy organic produce from Lebanon. And try to limit your produce purchases to those grown by America's farmers. That's the only way you can be sure.

Monday, June 04, 2007

CAIR "unindicted co-conspirator" in Hamas funding case

Along with the Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust.

At last the truth is coming out about CAIR. Maybe now the mainstream media will stop treating it as a moderate group, although the FBI seems determined to keep its blinkers on.

"Islamic Groups Named in Hamas Funding Case," by Josh Gerstein of the New York Sun, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:

Federal prosecutors have named three prominent Islamic organizations in America as participants in an alleged criminal conspiracy to support a Palestinian Arab terrorist group, Hamas.

Prosecutors applied the label of "unindicted co-conspirator" to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, and the North American Islamic Trust in connection with a trial planned in Texas next month for five officials of a defunct charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.

While the foundation was charged in the case, which was filed in 2004, none of the other groups was. However, the co-conspirator designation could be a blow to the credibility of the national Islamic organizations, which often work hand-in-hand with government officials engaged in outreach to the Muslim community.

A court filing by the government last week listed the three prominent groups among about 300 individuals or entities named as co-conspirators. The document gave scant details, but prosecutors described CAIR as a present or past member of "the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee and/or its organizations." The government listed the Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust as "entities who are and/or were members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood."

The secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, Muneer Fareed, said his group was surprised to be named in the Texas case. "I can tell you categorically that the current administration of ISNA, as well as its stakeholders, they have no connection to my knowledge with any Holy Land foundations," he said.

Mr. Fareed denied his group has any ties to Hamas, though he said it is difficult to police all 300 mosques under his umbrella. "We might have a kid whose dad was president of Hamas for all I know," he said. "How do you verify these things?"

Gee, I don't know, Fareed. Maybe ask members if they have any ties to Hamas, and make it clear that such ties are unacceptable?

The Islamic official expressed frustration at the lack of detail in the prosecution's filing. "Perhaps there's some evidence. I just don't really know what it is," he said.

Spokesmen for CAIR did not respond to messages seeking comment yesterday. Efforts to contact the North American Islamic Trust were unsuccessful.

The identification of the alleged co-conspirators could aid prosecutors when the Holy Land Foundation and five of its officials, Shukri Abu-Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader, and Abdulraham Odeh, go to trial on July 16 in Dallas. Statements by and about co-conspirators are exempt from rules barring hearsay....

The inclusion of the Islamic groups on the list of alleged conspirators could give ammunition to critics of the organizations. CAIR, in particular, has faced persistent claims that it is soft on terrorism. Critics note that several former CAIR officials have been convicted or deported after being charged with fraud, embargo violations, or aiding terrorist training. Spokesmen for the group have also raised eyebrows for offering generic denunciations of terrorism but refusing to condemn by name specific Islamic terrorist groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah.

In addition, one of the Holy Land Foundation defendants, Ghassan Elashi, founded CAIR's Texas chapter. CAIR's Washington office was also set up in 1994 with $5,000 in seed money from the foundation, according to congressional testimony by a researcher into Islamic extremism, Steven Emerson.

Last year, Senator Boxer of California, a Democrat, withdrew an award she gave to an official at a local CAIR chapter. She said she had concerns about statements by some CAIR officials and about claims of financial links to terrorism. Many FBI officials meet regularly with CAIR representatives and clerics from the Islamic Society of North America.

A New York Times article published in March said unidentified government officials believed that the criticism of CAIR was unwarranted. A former FBI official, Michael Rolince, said yesterday that the co-conspirator designation might prompt CAIR to be more direct in denouncing terrorism but was no reason to cut off all contact with the group.

"People could say the same thing about the FBI. They're not all choirboys," he said. "We don't go into this with blinders on."

Are you sure of that, Rolince? Are you saying that the FBI could be called an unindicted co-conspirator with a jihad terrorist organization? Are you saying that it's wise for the FBI to collaborate with a group that engages in cooperative efforts with groups that have called for death to America? Sure, we're not all choirboys. But we're not all dupes or tools of the enemy, either.

June 4, 2007

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Letter to the Editor

Written in response to a series of letters to the editor inthe Orange County Register :

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how thisland is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should teardown the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren'tbeing treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and otherports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out topeople like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this newkind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush fromall areas of Europe to come to the United States , people had to get off aship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would evenget down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledgeto uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. Theymade learning English a primary rule in their new American householdsand some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give theirchildren a new life and did everything in their power to help their childrenassimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, nolabor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanshipthey had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most oftheir children came of age when World War II broke out. My fatherfought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany ,Italy , France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave anythought about what country their parents had come from. They wereAmericans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They weredefending the United States of America as one people. When we liberatedFrance, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or theGerman American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans.And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of thoseimmigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flagand waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgraceto their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrantstruly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting potinto one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2007 with a new kind of immigrant who wantsthe same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playingwith a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement cardand a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry,that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that theimmigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better thanthat for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generationsto create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for abetter life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as anexample by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty,it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigrationbill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States justyet. (signed) Rosemary LaBonte